Cary Fukunaga to Adapt Stephen King's 'It'

Warner Brothers has been busy trying to get Stephen King's most successful and largest tomes to the big screen. They're currently working on 'The Stand' and they've just hired Cary Fukunaga to direct 'It' as a two-part film.

This comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who note that Fukunaga will be working with screenwriter Chase Palmer in adapting the material, with the plan being two films. Originally it was to be one movie, but - as the book runs somewhere north of a thousand pages - this gives them time to let the adaptation breathe. Fukunaga is coming off of adapting 'Jane Eyre.'

Of course this isn't the first adaptation; Tommy Lee Wallace (best known for helming 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch') brought it to the small screen in 1990. That version is rooted in its television limitations, but Tim Curry made for an excellent version of Pennywise the clown (as pictured above).

The premise should be familiar to anyone who knows King's work (or has seen or read 'Dreamcatcher'): Outsider children form a bond and fight evil when a mysterious presence kills kids. That presence is embodied by Pennywise, who lives in the sewer. Years later, the group is drawn back to their hometown of Derry, Maine to finish what they started.

Though breaking the adaptation into two parts is risky financially, at least they're going with someone who's got an eye, and knows how to adapt material. We're cautiously optimistic (but have a soft spot for the TV movie).